Is Face-to-Face Communication Dying?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Robots aren’t just taking jobs, they’re doing the hiring.
The growing trend of “automated interviews” highlights the shrinking amount of human interaction at work.
- Leadership expert Ulrich Kellerer believes face-to-face communication is a dying art in business
- One recruitment company said clients have found one-way interviews to be “impersonal” and “discouraging”
- Productivity, morale, and retention can all be improved through face-to-face communication
Corri Smith doesn’t have much time for phone calls.
She’s the owner of the Charlotte PR firm Black Wednesday. Every day she’s pitching, collaborating, and following up with clients, contacts, and employees. Typically she uses Slack, a messaging app with eight million daily, active users worldwide; three million of those paid.
“Hundreds, if not thousands of Slack notifications are received by me daily,” Smith says.
She’s talking to more than 100 people each day but sees only a handful in person.
“If we meet in person, it’s much better than if I send you another hundred emails,” leadership expert Ulrich Kellerer said.
He believes face-to-face communication is a dying art in business.
“[Face-to-face] is much more personal, it’s much more taking care of each other, and you reach much more better results,” Kellerer says.
Even remote communication like phone interviews are becoming less personal.
Hundreds of companies including American Airlines, Allstate, and some hospitals are streamlining hiring by having candidates do automated interviews through services like HarQen.
One recruitment company said clients have found one-way interviews to be “impersonal” and “discouraging.”
Kellerer says productivity, morale, and retention can all be improved through face-to-face communication.
Smith agrees there’s a technology tightrope to walk.
“For our specific industry, it’s really important to get to know the person in real life,” Smith said. “Or else the cutting edge can stop being a competitive edge.”
VIA SPECTRUM NEWS CHARLOTTE
